News

News archive

Contact

12Oct2017

Plastic carrier bags - recycling fee 0,2 PLN

The draft of regulation amending the Act on packaging and packaging waste management and some other reulations was passed in August to the Council of Ministers. Draft of the Regulation prepared by Ministry of Environment concerning the introduction of recycling fee of 0,2 PLN on lightweight carrier bags (below 50 microns) contained a date 1 January 2019. However, the final version of the project addressed to the parliment included a date one year earlier i.e. January 1, 2018. Both PUPC, PlasticsEurope and Polish Organization of Trade and Distribution (POHiD) were surprised by the acceleration of the date and referred to it critically especiall that ministry officially presented many times not only the intension but also a draft with the date 2019. Unfavorable entrepreneurs may be seriously affected by this change. PUPC pointed out that plastics processors had to have the necessary time to remodel production and develop a new product strategy instead of shrinking demand for bags. In this scenario they also have no time to use materials and raw materials bught for the production of this type of bags (printing ink, granulate, chalk fillers). Also retailers need time to make changes to the inventory as a result of the introduction of a recycling fee. Our association has sent a negative opinion to the parliment and senate on the speed up of the date, indicating that this could result not only in losses for entrepreneurs but also an increase in unemployment and a loss of revenue to the country budget. Anyway the project was adopted by all legislative bodies , so from the beginning of 2018 all the retailers will have to collect the fee for carriere bags. Plastic bags of less than 15 microns used for protection and packaging of bulk food are excluded from the regulation in accordance with the EU Directive.